


The dangers of smoking (and other things)

by Talokina



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes Friendship, F/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-04 13:38:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4139643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talokina/pseuds/Talokina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by this wonderful AU found here http://haimaee.tumblr.com/post/117184210887/mythological-creature-aus</p><p>“i’m a med student who has a huge crush on the hot guy who works at the coffee shop who always gives me free drinks when i’m stressed and calls me princess even though i pretend i think it’s annoying but i’m extremely concerned about him because he always smells like smoke so i always give him lectures about how terrible cigarettes are for you and i may have made a powerpoint which is probably excessive but lung health is extremely important and oops it turns out he’s part-dragon or something hahahaha oops” AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first fanfic. Enjoy :) Kudos and comments would by wonderful.

Keys still in her hand, Clarke left her apartment and headed for her favourite coffee shop before Med Campus. Humming, she opened the door and found herself at the Grounders Coffee shop, where you could find the most delicious coffee ever made.

There were only a few people around, as it was still early so Clarke didn’t have to wait. She waited at the counter and was greeted by Grounder Hottie, as Clarke liked to call him. He was a few years older than her, with curled brown hair and a tanned, muscular physique.

“The usual, princess?” he asked, a smug grin on his face. She had tried, in vain, to stop him at calling her princess, telling him several times that her name was Clarke, but it was no use. A little voice inside her whispered that she secretly liked it, but she chose to ignore it.

“Yes the usual.” she replied, “and while you chose to ignore my name, could you tell me yours?” She was feeling brave today and wanted to finally know the name of her crush.

“Bellamy.” he answered, before handing Clarke her drink. She looked at it and saw that he wrote Princess on it, even drawing a little crown instead of the dot above the i. She smiled at him and turned around to leave, but a question was still nagging her, so she went back.

“Did you burn something here or why does it smell like smoke here?” she asked Bellamy and for a moment she thought she saw a glimpse of fear in his gorgeous brown eyes.

“Don’t insult me or my coffee shop, your Majesty, we are a quality establishment and we are very careful.” he said. “Now, don’t you have classes to attend?”

Clarke couldn’t shake off the feeling she hit a soft spot, but he was right, so she half-heartedly scowled at him.

“This isn’t over yet.” she said as she was leaving the coffee shop and could hear Bellamy laugh, what made her heart skip a beat.

Classes were interesting and kept her occupied, but her mind was still turning around Bellamy and the mysterious smoke smell. During lunch, she told her roommate and best friend, Raven Reyes, the story, hoping for some advice. After a long interrogation about the exact words of the entire conversation and a general applause for Clarke’s progress, Raven finally had a point.

“Well, I guess he could be smoking.” her friend suggested, devouring her mozzarella sandwich while Clarke was eating her Cesar salad.

“Oh no” the blonde replied, before clenching her fists, “doesn’t he know the dangers of smoking? Doesn’t he care about his health?! Does he want to die a horrible death by lung cancer?!”

Her voice had become louder and louder and she heard Raven mutter “Here she goes again.” but Clarke didn’t care. The plan had already started to form in her mind and she was determined to save Bellamy and his lungs.

“Earth to Mother Teresa? You remember that we are going to this party tomorrow evening?” Raven’s words woke her up and she nodded.Monty and Jasper were great, a little bit nerdy, but they were amazing friends and she was looking towards seeing them.

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten.” she returned before glancing at her watch.

“Well, our classes are waiting, see you later.” she sang, a smile on her lips as she hugged her best friend.

Raven watched her impossible, smart-ass, best friend playing with a streak of her golden hair while heading for Med Campus and hoped that this guy better be worth of her. There was nothing worse than falling in love with a guy who does not deserve you, as she was speaking of experience.

Tuesday was always the longest day of her week and Clarke chose to stay at the library for a while, researching the risks of smoking and the effects on lung health. Call her silly or extreme, but she wanted to be informed and prepared. A quick glance on her watch showed her that it was 7 o’clock, so she packed her things in her bag and left.

Feeling that she was ready now, she visited Grounders Coffee Shop again, finding only a very young and very busy couple and an older gentleman there. She saw Bellamy cleaning the porcelain cups and braced herself before approaching him.

“Bonsoir Princess” he greeted her, “what can I do for you?”

“Well I’m here for you, actually.” Clarke muttered, before gaining confidence.“I want to inform you about the risks of smoking and its effects on lung health.” She saw Bellamy trying and failing not to crack a smile before he rose one eyebrow.

“Why on earth would you do that?” he asked, his hands still cleaning the porcelain cup.

“Well” Clarke began to reason, feeling her cheeks blush, “I assumed that the smoke smell came from you and the obvious conclusion is that you might smoke. Now do you know that the effects on the respiratory system are enormous, such as permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs? Don’t you want to live a long, healthy life?” she added, before looking at Bellamy.

He looked pensive, really lost in thoughts, and she considered shaking him for a second but dropped it, as she somehow sensed some struggle going on inside of him.

“So princess, you finally discovered my weakness. Yes I smoke. Now what are you going to do about it?” he teased, looking her right in the eyes.

Heartbeat racing, Clarke accepted the challenge and vowed “I’m going to do what every med student would do. Save your sorry ass and convince you to stop killing yourself.”

That good-looking jerk had the nerve to smirk at her words, before turning around and giving her her favourite chai tea and announcing “Good luck, princess. See you tomorrow.”

Head held high, Clarke left the coffee shop and only realized that she didn’t pay for the drink when she found herself at home in her jammies, telling an excited Raven the story.

 

 

Today was the day of the party and Clarke was standing before a mirror picking an outfit.

The day has been usual: Classes were still entertaining and informing and she had started to bond with Costia, another med student. Costia and her girlfriend, Lexa, would be at the party too and Clarke was eager to see them.

Her mother had called, asking what and how her only daughter was doing. Clarke sighed at the thought of the conversation. Since the death of her father, Abigail Griffin seemed to be even more controlling and bossy than before. Fortunately Marcus Kane, an old family friend seemed to keep her busy and happy, so she wouldn’t try to hold the reins over Clarke’s life.

The conversation with Bellamy had been… intriguing and Clarke’s couldn’t help but spin around like a child. She had visited him in the morning, but the coffee shop had been crowded, so she just gave him one of the little informative cards she had prepared, educating him on the effects of smoking on the immune system.

“It’s nice to know that you worry so much about me.” he said, laying one hand on his chest, acting all melodramatically, “I will keep this in mind.” He carefully put the card into his jeans pocket and winked at her. Unfortunately she couldn’t chat with him as the people started to grumble behind her, so she shot him one last sour look before paying and taking her coffee.

As usual, he had written Princess on it, with the crown-dot, and even cared to leave a little note on it. “Keep going princess” it said and Clarke considered it an invitation and a promise.

The said cup was standing on her desk, behind her Pc, and Raven started to call it the Bellamy-shrine. Clarke rolled her eyes thinking about it before choosing a pink top and blank jeans.

Raven was waiting for her, giving her an approving nod and they both left to go to the party who was held at an old factory. A DJ was playing the newest hits and people were dancing to the beats. She saw Jasper and Monty in the corner of the factory at the drink stand, handing out their own mixed cocktails to the crowd.

“Well, look who just arrived.” Mounty screamed, before providing Clarke and Raven with beverages, “our two favourite girls.”

“Hey guys” Clarke yelled, hoping that they would understand her “how is it going?” They both seemed to beam and were busy running the drink stand, so she sipped her cocktail and turned around to talk or yell at Raven, who somehow was gone.

Clarke pushed herself through the crowd and found her roommate locked in embrace with Wick. Clarke grinned, feeling delighted for her. After the disaster with Finn she deserved a happy relationship with a guy who cherished her. Seeing Raven and Wick bicker like an old couple was always a highlight, just like admiring Monty’s and Jasper’s team play and she found herself lucky knowing so many nice people.

She started searching for Costia and found herself back at the drink stand, where an attractive girl was chatting with Jasper and Monty. She was really pretty, with long brown hair and she practically seemed to radiate energy. Clarke slowly approached them, feeling uneasy and not knowing what to do. The guys seemed to have introduced her because the girl waved at her and just picked her hand and started dragging her along towards the exit. Clarke felt surprised and decided to just roll with it and follow the mysterious girl.

“Sorry to take you by surprise like that, but I don’t know many people here and Jasper and Monty told me about you so I just wanted to meet you. I’m Octavia by the way.” the girl explained straight forward and Clarke couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by her spirit.

“I’m Clarke.” she replied, “So are you new here in Arcadia?”

“Oh yeah, it’s a pretty cool city right?” Octavia stated before continuing. “At first it wasn’t sure whether I could come here, but my big brother works here at a coffee shop so I can afford a proper education. It’s just us, you know?”

The last sentence had a sad undertone and Clarke felt sorry for her, placing a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. After a long conversation outside the factory, where the girls bonded over overprotective relatives and the usual school stress. Clarke glanced at her phone and shrieked. It was late and tomorrow classes were early. Besides she absolutely didn’t want to miss her daily meetings with Bellamy so she turned towards Octavia, hugged her and said goodbye. They exchanged phone numbers and she sent Raven a message that she was going home.

Finally falling into her bed, she quickly looked at the cup before closing her eyes, knowing that Cupid really hit her hard.

 

 

Clarke had trouble getting up this morning. Groaning, she glanced at her phone and saw that Raven had texted her back in the middle of the night. “I’m with Wick. Seeya for Lunch XOXO”

Knowing Raven, she would be extremely moody today due to lack of sleep, but secretly happy because of the night with Wick. But Raven loved her engineering classes, so they both would talk about their previous night during lunch. Having the apartment for herself, she listened to some feel-good music, put on some makeup and took her bags. Her daily routine lead her to Grounders and somehow she had managed to be even a little bit early. Bellamy leaned against the counter, a cocky grin on his face.

“Hello Princess. Ready to give me some lectures?” he guessed, already handing her a hazelnut latte. Clarke would never understand how this guy just knew what kind of drink she wanted but she brushed it off, focusing on steady breathing and staying calm.

“I give you lectures, you give me coffee. Win-win situation I assume.” she replied and checked the shop for costumers. There were none so she took out her laptop and switched it on.

“Well now I’m surprised and a little bit curious. What’s going to happen now?” Bellamy asked and leaned towards her and her laptop.

“You didn’t seem to react to my lecture or my card so I’ve prepared something for you.” Clarke started the PowerPoint application to show him her latest work, entitled _Why I should listen to Clarke and why smoking will kill me – the presentation._

It was truly a masterpiece, informing Bellamy about all the consequences on his body, even suggesting some help on how to stop and ending in a grand finale where you could compare a healthy lung to a black smoker lung. Turning off her laptop and moving it in her bag, she faced Bellamy who had the cockiness to laugh.

“Princess, you are one of a kind” he giggled, “and I truly have to thank you. I think you made my day.” Clarke bit her lips and tried very hard not to turn as red as a tomato.

“Well, promise me you will think about it?” she insisted, hoping that somehow her work would not be in vain. She started to connect Bellamy to the smell of coffee beans and smoke, as he was smelling today of it.

“Yes I will, how could I resist such a resourceful presentation?” he assured her. “Now I think we will meet again, but for now, you should leave as work is waiting for me.”

Clarke turned around to see the usual crowd entering so she sighed, smiled at Bellamy and pushed herself through the caffeine-starving horde.

With a start like that, this day could one be amazing. She couldn’t wait for the morning classes to be over so she could meet with Raven and talk to her. Unfortunately, her professor decided that today was the perfect day to start a new subject at the end of the class, so she had to stay and take notes, while shooting daggers at said professor.

 

 

Running towards their usual restaurant, she saw Raven and Wick standing in line and joined them.

“Hey guys” she said between taking breaths, “how is it going?” She obviously interrupted some deep conversation about mechanics because they both looked at her like she was some sort of alien.

“Hey Meredith,” Wick said and ordered French fries and a Pepperoni pizza “how is it going?” Raven once revealed her love for Grey’s Anatomy to Wick and now he insisted on calling her Meredith. Somehow, people would always use nicknames for her.

“I’m fine, a little bit tired but fine. How are you CPO3?” she countered and ordering the Fish menu of the day. Of course Raven would have forced her to watch Star Wars so she knew enough of the story and could tease Wick.

“Quiet you two.” Raven commented, her lips curling into a smile, “I need to choose my meal. Wick, order some large glass of Coke for me. I feel like my brain is still in the stand-by mode.”

They went back to their table and started eating when Clarke spotted a known face. Octavia was sitting a few tables away, having dinner with some tall but handsome guy. Clarke stood up to say hi and approached them.

“Hey Octavia, what a surprise. How are you doing?” she addressed her, before analysing the guy. Something was familiar about him.

“Oh Clarke, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. I’m great, the food here is awesome. Um, this is Lincoln, he’s my… friend and he studies Psychology.” Octavia replied.

“It’s nice to meet you Clarke” Lincoln said, and somehow she recognized him and his voice. His calmness and Octavia’s wild spirit seemed to match and Clarke had a hunch that there may be more to it. Feeling a little silly, she decided to ask right away.

“Do you work at Grounders?” Lincoln seemed a little bit startled but then answered her right away.

“Yes I do, and now I know where I recognized you from. You’re one of our best customers.” This comment made all three of them laugh and Clarke felt no longer awkward, like she was interrupting something.

“That’s how I met Lincoln. I was waiting for my brother when he brought me a latte macchiato.” Octavia added.

If her life were a movie, this would be the moment were the dramatic music would start, she thought as she was putting two and two together, reflecting on their previous conversation where Octavia told her about her brother working at a coffee shop. This was such a big coincidence but hey, life is full of wonders.

“Octavia,” Clarke said, hesitating, “is your brother called Bellamy?” Now it was Octavia’s turn to be amazed.

"How do you know Bell?” she wondered and Clarke was in dire need of explanation.

“I don’t exactly know him.” she murmured, “but he always takes my orders so I once asked him his name.” The answer seemed to be satisfy Octavia, as she leaned back in her chair. “

Maybe we could do something together.” she proposed, looking excited.

“Oh yeah that would be nice.” Clarke promised, “as long as Bellamy doesn’t smoke it will be fine.”

Now Octavia’s and Lincoln’s facial expressions were wonderful, mixing utter disbelief with a little bit concern and confusion.

“What would give you the idea that Bell smokes?” Octavia questioned, “He would never throw money away by giving in into such a nasty habit.”

Feeling like the conversation now took a complete different turn, Clarke quickly rectified “Well, I thought it would be fitting for him.” She quickly glanced at her table, where Raven and Wick were eating and where her fish was waiting for her.

“It was nice chatting with you, but I’m starving, so I’m going to leave you now. Until next time.” she stated, before basically fleeing back to her friends and taking her seat.

 

 

Clarke began to eat her fish, cutting it in tiny pieces and stabbing it with her fork. Raven rose one eyebrow and Wick dropped a French fry on the floor at the sight of her meal massacre.

“Is something wrong?” Raven worried, “it’s not every day that we see you so angry and blood lusty.”

“Don’t worry, there is something I need to take care of, but this will no big deal.” she grumbled, thinking about that lying, handsome bastard who was probably still working at Grounders. She couldn’t wait to see him this evening after classes and she seriously hoped he was prepared for the storm coming for him.

Clarke stood before Grounders, doing her best to channel all her anger and disappointment as she watched the empty coffee shop. She opened the door and stormed towards the counter where Bellamy was leaning, checking his phone.

“Hello princess, what can I serve you?” he asked casually, but at the sight of her, he looked flustered and started playing with his hands.

“I have a bone to pick with you.” Clarke snapped, “Do you think it’s funny to lie to me? Do you think I have so much extra time that I can research something for someone who does not even need it? What kind of game do you play?!”

“I can explain” he started, “and I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know, didn’t want to cause inconvenience.”

“Explain why you lied to me about smoking. Right now.” she hissed.

“Not here.” he growled, before taking his jacket.

“My shift is over and we can talk if you want to.”

“Lead the way” Clarke retorted as she followed Bellamy out of the coffee shop. They walked in silence and Clarke started to grow impatient.

“Clarke, do you believe in the supernatural? Something you just can’t explain rationally?” he finally broke the silence and Clarke was taken aback by the fact that he called her by her name for the first time. She took a few minutes to ponder over her answer.

“I’m quite a rational person. As a future doctor, you have to accept the facts and be able to move on. You can’t just wish for some miracle.” she mused, before continuing. “However, I believe that humanity has not discovered everything yet, and that there is much to learn.”

It seems that this was the correct answer because Bellamy chuckled.

“This is the answer I expected of you.” They reached the outskirts of Arcadia. Bellamy had gone silent again and Clarke waited for him to continue.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, and something about the intensity in his voice made her realize that this was serious. Does she trust him? It’s a good question, but deep inside she knew the truth. She looked at him before nodding.

“It may sound weird, but could you close your eyes?” he begged and Clarke followed his instructions. The world became black and she waited. Bellamy sighed and seemed to move a few steps towards her.

“Whatever you think now, you are not crazy and this is real.” he mumbled.

Clarke opened her eyes and found herself staring into a reptile’s eyes. They were golden, with a vertical split for the pupil. Except, that some part of her brain realized, that they were Bellamy’s eyes. That she was staring into his face. She stumbled backwards, trying to compute with this new information, this new, bizarre situation. Her knees felt like rubber and she did her best to remain composed. Bellamy rose his hands in a comforting manner but this was the last straw. He had sharp, long claws and his hands and forearms were covered in bronze scales.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, “what is wrong with you?” He looked at her, a hurt, betrayed expression on his face and Clarke realized her mistake. You stupid girl, she scolded herself. This was Bellamy after all.

“I know that I am a monster,” he stated, with obvious self-loathing in his voice, “but I wanted you to know.” He turned around and started to walk away from her. Clarke felt terrible and quickly caught up with him and put herself in his way.

“I’m so sorry but this is new for me and I was confused and still a little bit upset.” she admitted, “But honestly now, can you explain... this?” She was gesturing with her hands, generally pointing in Bellamy’s direction.

“I really wish I could,” he confessed, throwing his hands in the air, “but I have no clue. I can control it but I can’t make it go away. I guess I’m the dragon to your princess.” He purred the last sentence and Clarke did her best to remain a cool head.

“Don’t get so cocky” she joshed, “otherwise I will look for a prince to get rid of you.” They both started to snicker, their laugh echoing in the night.

“But seriously, a dragon?” she inquired. “The whole thing with flying and fire breathing?”

“Well do you see any wings here, milady?” he asked jokingly, turning around. “The fire, though... Now you know the origin of the smoke smell.”

The look on her face must have been priceless considering Bellamy’s wild grin on his face – Clarke could observe for a second that even this teeth had become pointier – and he looked her deep in the eyes.

“Don’t worry, I would never harm you, I hope you know that.” he promised and as a sign of her trust, she took his claw-hand and held it.

“I know,” she said, “but I have a few questions left.” Bellamy gently closed his hand and smiled at her.

“Of course you have. Go ahead but I can already tell you now that Octavia does not know about it and for now i would like to keep it that way. I have not been like this for my whole life and that you are indeed the first person I’ve told it.” Clarke was touched by the fact that she was the first one, an obvious mark of confidence and could feel the butterflies flying around in her stomach.

“Do you think it will... progress?” she whispered, wondering if at a certain point she would have to babysit a large, flying dragon Bellamy. In her mind a horrible image started to form, showing an injured Bellamy surrounded by armed people. She shuddered at the thought.

“I don’t know,” he revealed, “and I’m scared Clarke. What will happen if it gets worse? But I guess I just have to wait and find out.” He seemed to have resigned and accepted his fate.

In the meantime his new “features” had disappeared again and he was staring aimlessly at the horizon.

“You mean we have to find out.” she corrected him, “because there is no way this princess” – God she just called herself princess – “will abandon you.”

Bellamy let out a gasp of relief and she could see in the way his face lit up how much this meant to him.

“Very well then. Princess, would you like to accompany me?” he asked, bowing in a medieval, prince-like manner. She giggled again, before dropping a curtsy.

“I would love to, milord dragon.” she answered and nestled against his shoulder as they started walking back into the centre of Arcadia.

 

In the common fairy tales, the princess would never fall in love with the dragon. The dragon would threaten her, maybe even kill her and the poor princess would weep and never again be happy. Fortunately, this was no fairy tale. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the revelation, Clarke and Bellamy decide to research about dragons and figure out their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voilà the second chapter :) I felt like there was more to explore so here you go. A little bit of fluff and angst.

Clarke was sitting in Bellamy’s living room, making herself comfortable on his couch. She used his momentary absence – he was making coffee (Yes, some things never change) – to realize the fact that she was actually in his apartment.

After the revelation, they both decided to stay together and they ended up at Bellamy’s and secretly Clarke was glad. She wasn’t ready yet to explain the thing she and Bellamy had to Raven as she couldn’t describe it by now. Bellamy returned, two steaming cups of coffee in his hands and placed them on the little table near the couch before taking a seat next to her.

They sat there in silence and Clarke felt the need to talk about the elephant in the room or in their case, the dragon in the room.

“So.” she started, clearing her throat, “I think we need to talk about this.” Bellamy didn’t react, he seemed to be waiting so she just continued babbling. “I mean, what we know about dragons for example.”

“Good idea.” he replied, folding his hands and leaning towards her, “I’m all ears.”

Caught off guard that he accepted her idea so easily, Clarke continued. “Well, I think the general perception of Dragons is… rather negative.”

She thought about her first dragon, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, and how terrified she was of the evil sorceress who would stop at nothing to prevent Aurora’s happy ending, even turning herself into a monster.

“There are some exceptions though,” she remarked hastily, “like Toothless or Spiro and Mushu. Plus I believe that dragons in the east have a better image, even bringing luck.”

Bellamy nodded but remained silent. Clarke used that silence to follow a thought she just had by thinking about Sleeping Beauty, namely Beauty and the Beast. Could Bellamy be under a curse? The rational part of her mind considered this idea absurd but hey, they should follow every lead.

“Bellamy, did you recently annoy someone? Like pissing someone really of?” she asked, waiting for a reply. He brooded over her question before answering it.

“Can’t say I have. I think I annoyed a girl by ruining her selfie she was just taking when I accidentally bumped into her but otherwise I don’t think so. You should know with my good looks and my charming personality, nobody can be mad at me for too long.” He gave her a self-impressed grin and Clarke shoved him. They remained like that, leaned against each other, for a moment and Clarke really enjoyed it, drowning herself in the sensation of Bellamy at her side.

“Why did you ask?” he murmured, “and don’t say no particular reason. You’re smart, what crossed your mind?”

“Well, after thinking about Maleficent, Disney was all over my mind so I remembered Beauty and the Beast, where, as you might know, the prince gets cursed. So I considered that possibility.” 

“Dragons and now even curses. Do you think Hogwarts is real?” he asked, looking dead serious before bursting out laughing.

“You’re impossible, I was serious” she weakly protested, shaking her head before joining him in laughter. At that moment, she really wanted someone to take a picture of them, laughing at Bellamy’s couch, because this memory was worth treasuring.

“God, this really isn’t easy.” she sighed.

“You say it.” he agreed, “but I can’t just google _Help I’m turning into a dragon_ right?” Clarke imagined the possible results of that research and almost started laughing again and sat up.

“But I really think we should do some research,” she insisted, “The more we know the better. Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Yes I have.” 

“At the public library? I can be there at 5 o’clock if that’s alright for you.” she suggested and he nodded.

“Very well then it’s settled”. she stated before standing up. “I need to leave now, because despite everything, I still need sleep.” Bellamy stretched, occupying now the whole couch and for a second Clarke wanted to join him again but she remained strong.

“Do you really have to leave princess?” he whined and Clarke shot him a single glare. He stood up and followed her to the door.

“I almost forgot” she said, before turning towards Bellamy and giving him a small piece of paper, “my address and phone number. You can call whenever you need me and I mean it. I’m here to help.” Bellamy took a piece of paper and Clarke used the time to open the door and step out of his apartment.

Call her chicken-hearted but she wanted to create some distance between them, because as they were both standing by the door, she didn’t know what would come next, how far they were so she chose flight.

“Seeya tomorrow.” she mumbled before going home, red-faced and biting her lip.

As soon as she opened the door to her apartment, she was ambushed by a very curious Raven, who wanted to know exactly where she was and with who, so Clarke just went into her room where they made themselves comfortable. Accepting her defeat, she told Raven the whole story, leaving out the dragon part of course and waited for her response.

“So you and him.” Raven commented, “I was thinking about making bets with Wick on when you two would end up together.” Clarke’s mouth was wide open and Raven smirked at her, challenging Clarke.

“You told Wick about it?” she asked before throwing a pillow at Raven who rolled around on her bed.

“I had to, he saw your Bellamy shrine so I explained the whole story, minus your obvious pining.” she returned. She sighed, beaten by Raven’s rational explanation.

“Are you free tomorrow evening?” Raven asked, clutching the pillow Clarke just threw at her. She would go to the library with Bellamy but surely she would be free in the evening, Clarke speculated, so she nodded. Something about Raven’s behaving sent Clarke off.

“What are we going to do?” she asked her friend. 

Sighing deeply, Raven explained. “Finn hosts a house party and he invited us both. I hope you would go with me and Wick.”

Clarke understood immediately. Finn has always been one of the most crucial persons in Raven’s life, and his cheating did not ruin the bonds between them, as they still continued to be friends.

“Of course Raven.” Clarke assured her best friend, feeling a surge of fondness going through her.

“Maybe you can bring along your barista.” Raven suggested, raising one eyebrow and looking her boldly in the eyes.

“You’re impossible.” she giggled, before shoving Raven out of her room, “I need to be fit for tomorrow.”

“Nice dreams.” Raven chanted before closing the door. Clarke put on her jammies and went to bed, wondering if she would dream and about what then.

 

Friday would be an exciting day, Clarke thought as she made her way to Med campus: Bellamy and the house party. Clarke caught herself staring at her father’s watch during classes, hoping it was already late afternoon. After what felt like an eternity, she finally sat on the steps before the library, looking out for Bellamy. She saw him coming towards her and exhaled deeply, the last evening and the goodbye still in mind.

“Hello Clarke,” he said good-humoured, “ready for some research?” They entered the library and Clarke couldn’t help but wonder about Bellamy’s apparent confidence and anticipation about being here. Maybe he likes books, she concluded before following him. They spent quite some time wandering through the aisles and Clarke couldn’t decide whether they found something useful or not.

She learned for example that the beliefs of dragons originated from the found of dinosaur bones and that Dragons are a large part of the Chinese culture and that there were four dragon Kings in Chinese mythology. Concerning shapeshifting dragons, she only found a lot of YA fiction but nothing concrete. Her idea of a cursed Bellamy hit a dead end too, as she only found some information about minor curses in the Wiccan culture. Clarke sighed, falling back in her chair.

“Well it was a good idea Clarke.” Bellamy tried to comfort her. He didn’t find anything useful either. Clarke checked her watch. She was supposed to meet Raven at 8 o’clock at their apartment and eyed Bellamy, giving herself a mental kick in the ass. She can do this.

“Bellamy, are you free this evening?” she finally asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

“Yes, why?” he replied, turning towards her.

“I’ve been invited to a house party and maybe, I mean if you want to, you can come with me.” 

“I would love to” he said, accepting her offer. Smiling, they both left the library and headed back towards her apartment, where Wick and Raven were already waiting. Her friends were acting wonderfully, Clarke thought, introducing themselves to Bellamy and making him feel like he was part of the crew. Raven and Bellamy argued about cars, their voices getting louder and louder so Clarke had to step in and propose a truce. Afterwards Bellamy and Wick discussed some video games while Clarke and Raven chatted about school.

The quartet finally reached Finn’s large apartment where they were welcomed by the host personally.

“Raven!” Finn called out before hugging her, “it’s so good to see you.” He shook hands with Wick before turning towards Clarke, leaning towards her to give her a little kiss on the cheek and she blushed over this awkward situation. Finn and Clarke had only been on a few dates before Clarke found out that he was also Raven’s boyfriend and she immediately drew the line at her relationship.

“Finn, this is Bellamy.” she said, standing between the two who just had a stare off. Finn finally broke eye contact and welcomed Bellamy into his house. They all entered and Clarke immediately recognized some people, like Costia and Lexa, Monty and Jasper and what looked like half of the juvenile population of Arcadia.

The evening started as usual, with a few home-mixed cocktails and normal conversation. However, some people don’t know their limits, like John Murphy, who decided to declare himself King of the party, or Finn, who gave himself Dutch courage before telling stories about their past dates.

“Remember how I shoved you into the lake Clarke?” he asked, giving her heart eyes, “We had so much fun.” She eyed Bellamy, who didn’t leave her side and stood there like a statue. The apartment smelled of people, alcohol and a mixture of many perfumes and usually Clarke wouldn’t care, but her alarm bells started to ring when she distinguished smoke smell, which was coming from Bellamy.

“Yes I remember Finn.” she returned, “But I think it’s time for us to leave now. Bellamy and I spent the afternoon in the library and we’re tired.” Not even waiting for Finn’s reply, she grabbed Bellamy’s hand and dragged him towards the door, passing a confused Raven. They practically ran out of the building and Bellamy directed her towards a side street.

“That was close” he murmured, and tension seemed to remove from him. Before Clarke’s eyes, the air around Bellamy seemed to shimmer and he was showered by some golden mist and Clarke marvelled at Bellamy’s quick change.

“Bellamy wait,” she said, trying to keep up with him, “are you all right?” He turned around and Clarke felt couldn’t help but stare. Bellamy wore a t-shirt (somehow he was never cold, maybe that’s a dragon thing) so she could see that the scales on Bellamy had climbed up, covering now his whole arms.

“Well.” she stated, trying to sound neutral and practical, “We know now that it can progress.”

“It seems so.” Bellamy snorted and again, Clarke was unsure what to do. This, just like last evening, was so far away from her mostly rational world. But she would find a way to figure this out.

“Are you all right?” she insisted, approaching Bellamy and hugging him, thinking that Bellamy needed support right now and acting on instinct. The scales felt cool as he wrapped his arm around her and so they stood there, in a side street, locked in an embrace. He reluctantly let go off her and started pacing around.

„It’s like I have a countdown inside of me. Until now I’ve always changed before the countdown was over because I don’t want to find about what would happen. This time it was close.” he revealed.

“Okay, that’s good to know,” she replied, “we just have to pay attention to your internal dragon clock and everything will be fine.”

“Internal dragon clock?” Bellamy repeated before starting to snigger. Feeling that the whole situation just relaxed, Clarke joined his laughing.

“You would tell me if you were feeling different right? Like when you somehow start to develop the need to collect jewellery and lock me somewhere up? I might want to prepare myself.” she teased him, feeling at ease and happy. His golden eyes glittered and Bellamy continued their joyful bickering.

“Oh no princess,” he exclaimed, turning around her, “I wanted to bring you now to my secret lair full of jewellery and gold and chain you up there so that nobody but me can see you.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m no ordinary princess and that you would get a nasty surprise.” she sassed. Clarke felt some pressure falling of her as she joked around with Bellamy. Since her father’s death, she had always assumed that she had to do her very best while being strong and just started to free herself from this cage she created around herself.

Being with Bellamy made life so much easier.

“I hope so.” he replied, and the air shimmered for a second and he was human again.

“Thanks Clarke.” he said, his baritone voice full of gratitude and joy. Clarke concluded that he had himself under control and that this conversation seemed to have helped him just as much as it has helped her.

“Let’s go okay?” she asked and he took her hand and together they went to her apartment. Before she could think of an appropriate way off saying goodbye, Bellamy had come closer to her pushed his lips against hers. The kiss started sweet, his lips gently brushing hers before it became more intense, and Clarke felt like she just entered heaven. They both broke free and panted and she decided that this was a way better than her version of goodbye.

“Goodnight princess.” he said to an astonished Clarke, and she could her him humming while leaving. Entering her apartment like a robot, she was relieved to find it empty and went to bed, trying not think too much about what just happened.

 

Saturday was her favourite day of the week, as it meant no classes and sleeping till noon. Clarke and Raven were eating Italian takeout, still wearing their jammies. She already braced herself for the conversation with Raven, who would surely have some questions.

“Did you enjoy last evening?” Raven started with an innocent question.

“Oh yeah, it was nice seeing Finn again.” she replied, staying with the truth for as long as she could.

"Then why did you leave so suddenly?” 

“Well Raven, my boyfriend, if I can call him like that, is part dragon and I was afraid the whole situation with him and Finn might go south, so I decided to leave before anything worse could happen.” was the honest answer but Clarke wasn’t insane so she settled for something close to the truth.

“I didn’t like Finn talking about us before Bellamy and we were both tired, so I decided to leave so that there would be no conflicts.” 

“Always the diplomat.” Raven chuckled and Clarke was relieved that the inquisition was over. She informed herself about Raven’s thoughts on the evening – apparently she missed some serious gossip and hilarious karaoke – and they both ended their meal with Ben and Jerrys. Her phone buzzed and Clarke wondered who that could be, as it was generally known that Saturday morning and noon was her quality time.

“I need you. Come to my apartment please. Bellamy” the text informed her and Clarke felt her heartbeat accelerating. She ran into her room, quickly dressed and grabbed her bag, texting Bellamy that she was on his way while leaving her apartment. Raven only stared at her, her mouth shaped into a perfect O and confusion written all over her face.

Bellamy’s apartment was 10 minutes from hers and she basically ran the whole way. Finally standing before his door, she rang the bell, trying to catch her breath. Bellamy opened the door and she was relieved to see that he was still human. She rushed past him and sat herself on the couch.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, fearing the worst. Her brain was already seeing scenarios of Bellamy turning into a dragon in his apartment, revealing his secret to everyone.

“Internal dragon clock is going haywire.” Bellamy explained, pacing around the couch like a lion trapped in a cage. “The countdown is jumping back and forth and I don’t know if I should change or wait.”

“Okay,” Clarke said, trying to plan their next move, “we should try to remain calm. Let’s think about yesterday, I mean we handled it well, right?” She waited for Bellamy’s reaction, and he gave her a small nod. He stopped pacing around and focused completely on her.

“Yesterday, your internal clock, could you describe it? I mean what did you feel?”

“It’s good that you ask,” Bellamy let out, “I enjoyed the evening, doing casual couple-stuff.” and gave her his best smirk. Clarke bit her lip, trying not to catch fire by the words of this dragon with an attitude.

“However, your ex,” he raised one eyebrow, “started to annoy me by blurting out about good old times and undressing you with his eyes.” he grumbled.

“And today?” she continued, trying to solve the mystery of Bellamy’s dragon nature. It was the first time she saw Bellamy lose his cool attitude, as he started to play around with his hands.

“I was hoping we could do more couple-stuff today” he confessed, “so I wondered what you would like to do. And from one second to another, internal dragon clock decides to arse around.” A terrible theory started to form inside Clarke’s mind but she needed assurance, asking one more question.

“When did this whole dragon thing start?” waiting for Bellamy’s answer like a convict waiting for the verdict.

“Around six weeks, give or take.” he replied. Six weeks. The words echoed in her mind. Six weeks ago, she first entered Grounders after deciding that the coffee of the Med campus was nothing more than horrible bean water. Six weeks ago, she got a hazel macchiato (Funny how she still remembered this) in a cup where someone had written princess on it. Six weeks ago, Bellamy and she met for the first time. Clarke’s heart clenched.

She was the reason. It must be his emotions, who seemed to intensify when he was with me. Even if it broke her heart, she had to make this decision. Sometimes in order to save someone, you have to condemn yourself.

“Bellamy,” she said, voice neutral because all her emotions were fighting, “it was nice knowing you but we can’t see each other anymore, considering that I’m the reason of your dragon mess.” She stood up, her whole body feeling dead and screaming, passing Bellamy who seemed like he didn’t understand what just happened.

“What are you talking about?” he mumbled, catching her by her wrist.

“Every time you feel strong emotions, every time you’re thinking about me or are with me, it gets worse!” she wailed, feeling miserably.

“We are in this together. I need you, and even it’s you who causes it, I don’t care.” he argued, his voice and face leaving no room for disagreement. He placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her and holding her back at the same time.

“How can you say something like that? Are you not aware of the consequences?” she blurted out, perplexed by his words. “I’m sure that the next time you change, it will have progressed, and I can’t allow this. So go on, prove me wrong!”

He moved a few steps backs, keeping eye contact and again, the air shimmered and golden mist rained down on Bellamy. It was just as she thought, she analysed Bellamy, who was wearing a tank top. His arms were completely covered in bronze scales, same as yesterday, and they started to spread to his shoulders and neck. In the light of the apartment, she could distinguish that the scales on his neck were smaller and shimmered more golden, while the scales on his shoulders were larger and darker. She wondered if they already reached his torso.

“There you have your answer.” she whispered heading for the apartment door.

“Don’t you dare walk away Clarke.” Bellamy hissed, blocking her way, his golden eyes gleaming. “There is no way this princess will abandon you.” he quoted the promise she gave him on the night he had revealed his secret to her and Clarke felt her resolve faltering.

“I rather be with you as a dragon than without you as a human. We are a team and we will face this, all right?” Tears come streaming down her face and Clarke wiped them away, feeling stupid and emotional. Maybe they would figure this out. The lump in her throat was disappearing and she fell onto Bellamy, who caught her.

“All right, as a team.” she wept, being held by her dragon/human boyfriend.

 

 

Life went on after their confrontation and Clarke couldn’t express how thankful she was that Bellamy and she figured their relationship out. Of course, there were obstacles to overcome, but as Bellamy said, they would face it as a team. Sometimes Clarke was surprised by their mutual understanding of each other, how well they fitted.

They argued without retention, for example about the situation of Octavia. Clarke wanted to let her into Bellamy’s secret, arguing that she was strong enough to handle it and that their secretiveness would someday catch Octavia’s attention. Bellamy, on the other side, didn’t want to burden Octavia, stating that she deserved a normal student life and that they would handle it on their own.

Considering the dragon situation, they somehow were both right. It did progress when Bellamy felt strong emotions, but after a while and countless heart attacks on both sides, he got a hold over his internal dragon clock, so that he would control the progress. He bantered Clarke with it whenever he could, driving her mildly insane and at the same time, dissolving her fears.

“Well do you think I will grow wings the next time?” he quipped and Clarke rolled her eyes at him. They were both at his apartment, watching Sleeping beauty.

“I hope you will grow a large tail so you will trip wherever you go” she countered, sticking her tongue at him. Clarke was lying on Bellamy so she could feel his laugh rumble in his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss on her head.

“Be careful princess, the dragon lair is still waiting for you.” he teased and they both giggled, watching the prince awake Aurora with a kiss.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Clarke was right after all, as Bellamy starts to manifest signs of dragon behaviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't shake off the thought of going full dragon Bellamy, so here we go. I excuse for being a little bit sappy.

Clarke just couldn’t shake off the presentiment that the dragon story wasn’t completely solved and told Bellamy about it. She knew this was silly, as she saw him control his internal dragon clock with easiness, but how often can you push the snooze button before the alarm decides to go off anyway?

They were in her apartment for a change, going through Clarke’s old photos. Bellamy wanted to know more about her, so she decided it was story time, showing him her childhood and even the teenager years, which was embarrassing, considering her flower-power phase. He had patiently listened to all her stories, laughed at her countless explanations and wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek when they reached the photos of her father.

“Clarke, I know that you worry and I appreciate it, but does it look like it’s out of control? Did I start acting weirdly?” Bellamy replied, playing with her hair. He loved braiding and toying with her hair, and Clarke sometimes wondered if there may be a hairdresser inside of him.

“No you didn’t Bellamy, and I know it’s probably just useless concerning, but I can’t shake off the feeling that the whole dragon story isn’t over yet.” she worried, exhaling deeply.

“Clarke listen,” Bellamy said, who let go off her hair and took her hands and held them, “I know there is much we don’t know about it. But worrying and making yourself miserable won’t help any of us. If something happens or changes, I will tell you right away and I’m sure you will notice. We will face this together, as a team.”

His words comforted her, like a warm steam going through her after a winter’s day.

“Good,” she sighed, letting it drop for now, “because I intend to fill some photo albums with us.” Bellamy beamed at her, before taking out his smartphone.

“Smile princess,” he demanded as they lay on her bed “let’s take some pictures then.” Clarke lost count of the many pictures they took this evening. They were just re-enacting the iconic Titanic scene when Clarke heard the lock turn and Raven and Wick entered.

“Near... Far… Wherever you are...” Raven began singing, and the quartet found themselves lying on the floor, laughing. Raven and Wick had been to the cinema for some sci-fi film and couldn’t stop babbling about the mechanical mistakes of this movie. After the duo had discussed every detail, Clarke decided that the photo session wasn’t over yet and so they took countless other pictures.

Clarke’s hobbyhorse had always been art, especially drawing and she was confident enough to say that she was decent. She remembered how her dad would always buy her crayons and ink so she could experience in every way possible. There will be a time when she will draw Bellamy, Raven and Wick, but for now, photos were enough.

 

Concerning med school, tests for Clarke were approaching and therefor, stress. It was funny to see how the whole class was hanging on the professor’s lips, as if that would make them remember everything. Even the care-free partygoers, who seemed to visit classes just for fun, began taking notes.

After classes Clarke went to Grounders to study and be with Bellamy. At first she had been unsure whether to go or not, if she may be a little bit clingy and if she would be able to study at all. Her worries were unjustified, the smell of coffee and the murmuring voices were soothing, and so she could focus completely on her studies. Plus, Bellamy would bring her beverages and pastries, as he had to “support his future lifesaver” so altogether Clarke was learning in a nice entourage. After she learned enough to make her brain hurt from studying and at the end of Bellamy’s shift, they went to the Ton DC Bar, where they would meet with Raven and Wick and Octavia and Lincoln.

Nothing had been more hilarious than watching Bellamy learn about Octavia’s relationship with Lincoln. At first he had been the perfect example for the “concerned older sibling trope” but after a few meetings he accepted Lincoln, who seemed to reinforce Octavia’s strength, as she seemed to have become even more confident.

While Bellamy just told another one of his stories about history – yes Bellamy was a huge history nerd, that’s why he enjoyed the library so much – Clarke ordered a round of tequila for the gang.

“So now you know why I don’t like the movie Troy, which left out the whole conflict with the gods and focused too much on the humans.” Bellamy just explained, a content grin on his face. Greek mythology was one of his favourite subjects and Clarke loved seeing Bellamy so passionate and gleeful.

The drinks arrived and everyone took their shot glass. Clarke must thank Costia for the little extra, as her girlfriend Lexa, who worked here, even decorated their glasses. She saw Bellamy toy with his decoration, golden tinsel, and put it into his pocket.

“A toast to this amazing couples on this wonderful day.” Wick proposed and they all drank their tequila in one go.

The alcohol seemed to make everyone more talkative and soon the time seemed just to fly and everyone was waiting for their turn to tell a story. She heard wonderful stories about Octavia’s and Bellamy’s childhood, a little bit of Lincoln’s past, and the epic love story of Raven and Wick, as the latter described it. She talked about her creative vein, and her early paintings. When everyone started yawning, they decided to pay. She would first walk Bellamy to his apartment before going home, so she said goodbye to Wick, Lincoln and Octavia.

“I saw you picking up the tinsel earlier” Clarke commented, “did you like it?”

“Yes, it’s nearly as pretty as your golden hair.” he replied jokingly. She raised one eyebrow at him in defiance. “It will remind me of this evening” he added, smirking at her.

The air glinted golden and Clarke was proud that she didn’t wince. Bellamy changed more often and deliberately since they fully accepted their relationship. While he was in control of his internal dragon clock, he sometimes had to let the progress continue, comparing it to a full bath tub where you would pull the bathtub plug.

She remembered a little voice in her head whisper “You selfish girl, so it will progress and it is all your fault.” but if she was honest, Clarke accepted this guilt a long time ago. You couldn’t undo your decisions, just try to live with them.

So for now, Bellamy’s upper part of the body was covered in scales, even the torso. Clarke especially remembered the last part.

_They had been in Bellamy’s apartment, he just casually changed while they were cooking, and after staining his t-shirt he just took it off and threw it on the couch. It was fascinating to see his scales glimmer, from his bronze scales on the arms, to the golden scales on the neck, to the brown scales on the torso and back. The sizes were different too, yet it fitted together like a perfect puzzle._

_“Careful princess,” he teased as he caught her staring at him, “some people would say you are yearning.” “_

_Careful Bellamy,” she countered, “some people would say dragons have a huge ego and I would say they are right.”_

The memory made her smile and she leaned closer towards Bellamy who had put his arm around her shoulder. Touching dragon Bellamy had become normal and sometimes Clarke couldn’t help but stroke Bellamy’s scales, her fingers gliding over the cold but somehow familiar surface. Bellamy seemed to enjoy it and Clarke was sure, if he were a cat, he would be purring. It had become a habit of them to take the side streets where usually nobody would be at this time of the day. In these lonely streets, they were sure that nobody would see dragon Bellamy. Clarke wasn’t afraid because Bellamy was the best protection you could imagine. And even if everything would go wrong, who would believe someone who babbled about seeing a dragon?

They reached Bellamy’s apartment and Clarke steeled herself for their goodbye. Bellamy would try to lure her into coming upstairs but she needed to stay hard, even if only for a while. She knew that spending the time with Bellamy would definitely cloud her head so she had to decline his offer.

“So princess, do you want to come upstairs?” Bellamy asked, and so their little game would continue. Bellamy was giving her his best puppy eyes and Clarke wondered if he was secretly training this. Normally his brown eyes would suffice to make her melt, as she could stare into this dark depths forever, but the golden eyes were a whole new experience. It was like staring into the sun, she pondered, and at the same time it was a dance of colours, gold embracing cupper, yellow and orange.

“No I can’t and you know why.” she consoled him, breaking the eye contact. Bellamy sighed in defeat before giving her a gentle kiss.

“I love being alone with you, you know that?” he murmured before leaving her alone, slowly closing the door. 

“Why did this conversation alarm me so much?” she talked to herself on her way home, before deciding to keep an eye on her boyfriend. It was not easy being Clarke Griffin, who had to handle med school, social life and a dragon boyfriend at the same time.

 

Raven seemed to have spent the night with Wick, as there was no sign of her in their apartment, Clarke thought before preparing herself for med school. Raven must be a lot stronger than her, she mused, as she knew that Raven also had incoming tests. She groaned at the sight of her bag, containing her momentary nemesis, namely the notes of her classes. Costia and she had decided to meet this noon to compare their notes and eventually talk about stuff they didn’t understand. But first the classes, Clarke reminded herself, and before that coffee.

Her relationship with Bellamy didn’t change her routine to Grounders, it rather gave it some stability. Every day she would enter the coffee shop and Bellamy would give her a beverage with princess written on it, sometimes even little messages to lift Clarke’s mood. Today, he gave her a chai latte with chocolate syrup, along with the message “You look beautiful today.” With a start like that, she was sure that she would survive classes, and she did.

Noon with Costia was really helpful and a pleasant change, and they discovered that their combined notes made a lot more sense. After the exchange, they both were looking for a break and parted ways. Clarke was really exhausted so she dragged herself home to find some relaxation. She went to her bed and decided to take a nap, before going to take a bath. It seemed like she really needed the break, because she slept longer than intended. After the bath she felt human again and put on her jammies before blow-drying her hair. Clarke was completely surprised when she heard a knock on the apartment door.

“Rae, did you order some food?” she asked her roommate and just got a groaned “Nah” coming from Raven’s room. Clarke wondered who the mysterious guest could be as she walked to the door to open it. A smiling Bellamy stood before her and Clarke was speechless. Spontaneous visits surely were nice, but she definitely hadn't expected Bellamy today. 

“Surprise princess.” he exclaimed, pecking her on the cheek and entering the apartment.

“Hey Bellamy,” she murmured, surprised by his arrival, “what are you doing here?” Bellamy had started going through the apartment, analysing their furniture and switching off the lights. The only light in the apartment came from the windows, where the moonlight found its way into the living room.

“Well princess, I thought that we might could spent some time together. Plus, I brought you a gift.” he explained, while standing in the dark as if it were usual. Not getting Bellamy’s logic, she protested, making her way to the coach, hoping she wouldn’t trip over something. Raven's snoring could be heard through the door, so that they didn't have to hide from her. 

“I enjoy your visit, but I can’t see the gift with the lights out. Your plan is obviously flawed. “

She heard him chuckle. “It’s funny, I feel comfortable in the darkness. When I was younger I was afraid of the darkness, harbouring demons. But now I know that you should always fight your demons.”

Clarke didn’t know what to reply, so she carefully fought her way to the couch and let herself fall. They lay on the coach like that, all tangled limbs and surrounded by darkness, enjoying the silence and their proximity. Bellamy started playing with her hair again and she closed her eyes, relishing the way his fingers glided through it.

“You’re not wearing your father’s watch, why?” Bellamy murmured, his face buried in her hair.

“I took a bath and took it off.” she yawned, feeling the sleepiness overwhelm her.“How did you notice this?”

“I see it.” he replied, shifting on the sofa as he tried to find a better position.

“You mean you saw it when you entered.” she added, frowning.

“No, I can see it now.” Bellamy retorted and Clarke sat up, confused by his statement.

“So now you can see in the dark?” she questioned him, keeping her voice light.

“It appears so.” Bellamy sat up too, and now they both sat on the couch, contemplating his words. “I found out by accident. It’s even better when I’m changed, but even now, I can see and I have a feeling that it even gets better with the time.” he clarified and Clarke heard the alarm bells ring in her head.

“Well, another addition to the dragon issue.” she concluded, standing up to switch on the lights, because she still was in the dark, figuratively and literally. As she switched on the lights, she saw Bellamy frown and blink, as if the light dazzled him.

“You might want to give me the present now.” she suggested, changing the subject at the same time. Bellamy reached into his pocket and gave her a small bag and she opened it. Clarke held a golden leaf hairband in her hands. It was beautiful yet elegant, and by putting it on, she felt like a princess. Bellamy seemed to agree, because he looked at her, admiration and love in his gaze.

“My princess.” he whispered, his voice laced with emotion. This time the game was different, as they were at her place instead of Bellamy’s, but it was the same. Bellamy tried to stay the night and Clarke had to kick him out, resisting to puppy eyes and hilarious dragon threats like “You’re lucky that I even bring you jewellery, you lousy princess.” or “I’m going to burn your coffee tomorrow.” Giggling so hard that her stomach started to hurt, she finally pushed Bellamy out of her apartment, stealing a kiss before closing the door in his face. She placed the hairband near the princess cup and went to bed, a smile on her face.

 

Her days started to fall into a routine, she realized as she woke up. First grabbing coffee at Grounders, then classes, followed by lunch with her friends and studying. In the evening she would do something with her friends or Bellamy.

She had the feeling that lately Bellamy would prefer to do things alone with her rather than in the group. She knew that Bellamy liked the gang, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was happiest when he was alone with her. It wasn’t possessive in the bad way, as he never complained about her activities or whereabouts, but more in keeping her company as much as he could.

Today they would meet at his place, so here she was, standing before his door, wearing his present in her hair. She knocked and Bellamy opened the door, a satisfied smirk on his face as he saw the hairband.

"You’re a sight for sore eyes.” he complimented her and followed her into the apartment. After they finally chose the movie, Bellamy went into his room to get the DVD and Clarke had time to look around. Bellamy’s apartment had always been basically arranged, so the amount of new objects amazed her. In the corners stood piles of books, mostly history, and jewel cases were scattered all around the place. Maybe they are Octavia’s, she thought before approaching one of them. A quick glance reassured her that Bellamy was still searching, so she opened one and found it full of jewellery. Not expensive jewellery, the kind you inherited, but more the shiny, cheap jewellery you could buy everywhere. She found the price tags still on most of it, so she guessed that they must be new. Why would Bellamy buy cheap jewellery?

After hearing Bellamy murmur “There it is.” she leaped on the couch and pretended to be on the phone, feigning innocence. She wondered if he bought it, and asked herself if only his eyesight was heightened or maybe all his senses. Bellamy came back, a DVD pocket in his hands and knelt before the DVD player.

“Now we wanted to watch King Arthur, didn’t we?” he joked and she rolled her eyes. The TV finally showed the intro of Pride and Prejudice, as Keira Knightley walked on the field. It was one of her favourite movies, as it portrayed a headstrong, kind and smart woman, who walked her own path, despite society’s expectations.

However, she couldn’t really focus on the movie as Bellamy had his hands under her shirt, tracing circles on her back and giving her delicate kisses on the neck. She had goose bumps everywhere and her chest heaved rapidly with quick panting. Bellamy was gently pulling her shirt, and together they removed first hers, then his. It seems like we’re going second base, she thought, as they were laying on the couch. She was on top of Bellamy, her hands wrapped around his shoulders while his hands drew spirals on her back.

“Clarke” he gasped, and before she even realized what was happening, the air around them seemed to freeze and golden mist surrounded them. Her hands that had just been caressing warm skin were now touching scales, and something different. Following his spine, she could feel leathery spikes, different in size but all long and sharp, and in her confusion she fell from the couch. Clarke wasn't a person you would call easily freaked out or jumpy. She tried to find a solution for every problem and wasn’t afraid of making decisions. Not backing down from this challenge, she asked the obvious question.

"Did you…" she stammered and was interrupted by Bellamy, who just shook his head and helped her up. She began stepping through the room, trying to collect her thoughts. Bellamy changed and progressed without wanting it. Plus his behaviour started to make sense. Preferring darkness, collecting jewellery and other "treasures", spending most time with his "princess". It was dragon behaviour right from the book.

“Bellamy, we need to talk.” she started, well aware of the words she just used. “It looks like I was right after all. It does progress, and not only physically.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Go on princess.” he encouraged her.

“Well your behaviour is kind of self-explaining” she continued, and the words just started to flow from her mouth. “You prefer darkness, you are with me as much as you can, your princess – Clarke cringed internally – and you started to collect jewellery and other treasures.” She gestured with her hands, pointing across the living room. “And you changed and progressed without wanting to. I think the dragon story isn’t over yet, it’s more like the beginning.” she finished her monologue, before sinking into the nearest chair, waiting for Bellamy’s reaction.

She didn’t know what to expect. Would he become irritated, trying to write it off as a harmless slip and dismissing her explanations as ridicule and exaggerated? Would he even listen or answer at all? Clarke was clueless. Bellamy groaned, his clawed hands covering his face. A heartbeat later, he was human again.

“I act like a fucking dragon.” he stated, as if he just informed her about the weather.

“Self-knowledge is the first step towards self-improvement” she said, trying to cheer him up.

“I guess so.” he replied, an exhausted and worried look on his face.

“What does the internal dragon clock say?” she asked, focussing on something familiar in this mess.

“That’s a good question.” he moaned, “because it just changed. It has always been a countdown, but now it’s more like a constant vibrating.”

“This can’t be good” she murmured, because the internal dragon clock had always been the compass of the dragon story. Without it, they sure could lose themselves. Here they were now, sitting both on the floor in Bellamy’s apartment, back to back, wondering how on earth they got into such a situation.

“We need to be more careful.” he finally declared, and Clarke nodded, taking his hand.

“You will tell me if anything changes. We need to be prepared.” she demanded. The most important words were left unspoken. Prepared for what was the obvious question. Prepared for the time Bellamy will turn into an actual dragon? The thought had always been so surreal to her. The possibility had always been there, but they both had chosen to ignore it, focussing on the daydream that nothing worse would actually happen.

You stupid girl, this is all your fault, the voice in her mind hissed. You speeded up the process, you were too weak to let go of him. Clarke closed her eyes for a second, hoping to shut down the accusations. It was too late now to torture yourself, the damage is done, she thought bitterly.

“The meadow behind the forest at the south border of Arcadia” Bellamy murmured and Clarke didn’t follow. She changed position so he would face her and see her puzzling look.

“We can go there. In all my time in this city it has been my oasis, my place to calm down, and I’ve never seen anybody there.” he added and now Clarke understood.

“That’s a good idea.” she replied and Bellamy gave her a little smile.

“Hey Bellamy?” she whispered and leaned forward and kissed him, putting all her love and confidence in this kiss. “I’m not going to abandon you."

 

Clarke felt like she was walking on eggshells, expecting every second to get a text or call from Bellamy. Raven noticed of course and Clarke lied to her, stating it was just the stress that made her nervous. She didn’t believe for one second that she convinced Raven, as Raven knew her better than anybody else, but she hoped that Raven wouldn’t insist on explanations.

Fortunately it was Saturday, meaning no classes, but she couldn’t focus on her studies either. A little sardonic part of her mind just hoped for the final change to happen, so they would be released from this torture of anxiously waiting. Clarke didn’t know how fast here wishful thinking would come true. She was sitting in her room, fighting a hopeless battle against her notes when she got a text from Bellamy.

“Meet me now at my apartment.” it said and Clarke felt the adrenaline race through her body. She took her bag, put on the hairband he gave her and left the apartment in a rush, running to Bellamy, who was already waiting in front of the apartment.

They walked in silence at the beginning and Clarke didn’t know what to say. They both had no idea what would happen and Clarke never felt so tense in her life.

“So….” Bellamy cleared his throat, “I don’t know what will happen but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt, so please keep a safe distance when it happens.”

Still worried about her, she thought fondly and nodded as they approached the forest. To calm her down she started humming and soon Bellamy joined her, their melodies dancing with each other. They didn’t run into one single person on their way here so Clarke could at least shake off the fear of someone seeing them. They arrived at the meadow and Bellamy gestured her to stand down.

“Whatever happens, I want you to know how much it means to me that you didn’t abandon me.” Bellamy confessed to her, “I love you.” Before Clarke had even a chance to reply or handle the declaration she just got, Bellamy went towards the middle of the meadow and gestured her to stay where she was.

A few seconds passed before the air around Bellamy started to glimmer. As usual, Bellamy was showered in golden mist but when it normally was more like a drizzle, this time it was a storm raining down on Bellamy, engulfing him completely. Clarke couldn’t see him anymore and made a few steps in his directions, before reminding herself to stay in a safe distance.

“I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” the words echoed in her head, so she waited, watching this spectacle unfold itself. A golden ball was now where Bellamy used to be standing, and it was pulsing, becoming bigger every moment. Clarke quickly hopped back, bringing some distance between herself and the growing golden ball, but never letting it out of her sight. The golden ball had reached a formidable size and Clarke started to wonder just how big dragon Bellamy would be when the golden ball just exploded and out of it stepped… a dragon.

Nobody and nothing prepared Clarke for this so she just stumbled back, her mouth wide open, and analysed the dragon. His huge, muscular body was covered in metallic scales that shimmered golden, bronze and brown and she had to blink a few times at the sight of it. He had graceful, long wings reaching from his shoulders to the middle of his waving, lean tail. His four, strong limps ended in sharp, long claws and Clarke identified pointed spikes running from his shoulders to his tail. The most impressive part of it was the head. It was triangle-shaped, with two remarkable, curled horns at the forehead. The oval nostrils were fuming and the lips were drawn back like he was smiling, revealing sword-like teeth. The only thing Clarke recognized were the golden eyes staring at her.

“So princess,” the dragon spoke, his loud voice failing to hide his amusement, “what do you think?”

“You huge, moronic lizard with an attitude,” Clarke screamed, her body bursting with laughter as it relaxed, “how can you say something like that and then walk away?” She picked up the nearest object she could find, a branch, and threw it at Bellamy, who just started to giggle, making his enormous body shake at the same time.

“You didn’t answer my question.” he objected, giving her the dragon puppy eyes.

“Well you didn’t answer mine.” she sassed before she approached him, leaning against him, her human size being tiny in comparison to Bellamy's. 

“You look just as good as usually.” she finally gave in, and if she didn’t know this were Bellamy, she would have been slightly frightened by the wicked grin the dragon gave her while puffing.

Well Blake, if you want to play, let’s do it.

“Catch me if you can.” she challenged him. It was the final challenge, she thought as she pushed away from him and ran towards the forest. Would he be able to turn back? Clarke adamantly hoped so, otherwise they would have to start searching for large caves and a believable story.

While she aimlessly jogged through the forest, she soon heard a person approaching her so she started sprinting. Their little race ended when Clarke hit a dead end. They both panted and Bellamy moved closer, a satisfied smirk on his face.

“Caught you princess.” he purred and Clarke put her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“I love you too.” she whispered and felt like her heart was heavy with all that joy and love. Again they both were locked in an embrace, gently rocking back and forth.

“Next time I want to try flying.” Bellamy begged as they started making their way home.

“Not a chance.” she replied, trying to keep her voice stern. “We still have much to learn before we try something as dangerous as flying.”

“I hate to break it to you Clarke,” he chimed in, simpering “but you don’t stand a chance against a dragon.”

“Oh don’t you worry,” she objected, “this princess has some tricks up in her sleeves.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. A fic that started as a long one-shot ended up being 3 chapters after all. But now i'm definitely finished.


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